Palpatine's speech is mostly canon. Thanks to whoever transcribed it to the Internet. I just re-wrote bits of it, mostly to reflect that it isn't quite the canon version. For extra enjoyment, go put on the ROTS Ending theme on a loop while reading this, I did it while writing it.
Chapter 18
Anakin was had been caked in dust, dirt and also a little blood, tired to the bone and looking like death warmed over, he was nothing like the image Republic propaganda had built up of him. Somewhere between then and now he had managed to wash himself and put his robes into the refresher, likely he had still been as he had arrived aboard the ship but been thrown out again until he cleaned himself up.
Obi Wan couldn't help but smile as he watched all four members of the Skywalker family fast asleep in the compartment. Anakin was in a chair at his wife's bedside, securely cradling the girl they had named Leia in his arms, with her brother, Luke, at their mother's side, both wrapped in Republic Navy blankets that some kind soul had donated. To Obi Wan those four represented a hope for the future he would not otherwise have had, considering the events of the last few days and what was to come. Even as the ship hurtled towards the Unknown Regions and the uncertainties that came with it, Obi Wan felt a deep trust in the future and in the Force, and he knew that it was down to those two babies. He could sense from over here that they were both at least as strong in the Force, then hiding them from Palpatine would be something of a task, but with all the remaining Jedi on the ship and them heading farther and farther away from the Core, he was sure that the twins, now a little more than twelve hours old, would be as safe as their father and the Jedi could make them.
Peacefull as the four of them were, Obi Wan could still remember how desperately sad Padmé had been little more than an three hours ago. The ship had briefly stopped to drop of those of her crew that did not wish to follow the rest into what was most certainly a long and very dangerous existence as traitors, rebels or whatever Palpatine chose to brand them as, and she had cried a frightful amount of tears when recording a message to her family. Aside from giving them their first, and all too likely only look at their grandchildren, she had all but ordered them to publicly disown her the moment her connection to brought down unwanted attention.
Captain Kawgipi had been the one to find a fellow Twi'lek trader who she said could be trusted and who had taken the message chip to Naboo where he should arrive in a few hours.
As much as she had not wanted to do it, and as much as Obi Wan knew why, it was necessary. Palpatine had seen to that.
Five hours earlier
"Angel, do you really want to do this?" Anakin asked, even though he knew that she'd insist even if she was still having contractions instead of having just put Luke and Lei to sleep in their beds at the other end of the room, but placed so she always had them in her field of vision.
"Anie," she yawned, "Anie, if we weren't here, I'd likely be dead, and Palpatine is the one who has inflicted all of this on us. He has declared himself Emperor for life, and I want to hear his own words with my own ears."
She paused and stared at her children for a while, wiping away the last of the tears that she had cried when recording the last message to her parents and family on Naboo, knowing full well that it would be a long time indeed before she saw any of them again, if ever.
"After all, what else is a good citizen of the Galactic Empire to do?" she said in a mocking tone.
Anakin only reached around her shoulders from his side of the couch, tucked her in close and kissed the top of her head.
"Let's do this, then."
He leaned forward and activated the holoprojector.
The figure of Palpatine in the speaker's position of the Senate Chamber resolved itself to clarity. The erstwhile Chancellor and newly minted Emperor looked the way he had when they'd last seen him, except now he wore a dark set of robes and Padmé sensed a sort of sinister aura around him even though this was just a recording.
"A Sith indeed." Anakin said as he watched Palpatine quieten down the hubbub of Senators around him.
"Citizens of the civilized galaxy, on this day we mark a transition. For a thousand years, the Republic stood as the crowning achievement of civilized beings. But there were those who would set us against one another, and we took arms to defend of way of life against the Separatists. In doing so, we never suspected that the greatest threat came from our own ranks.
The Jedi, and a great number from within our own Senate, had conspired to create the shadow of Separatism using one of their own as the enemy's leader. They claimed that he had forsaken their teachings. They had hoped to grind the Republic into ruin. But the hatred in their hearts, brought to them by their secretive ways and abnormal teachings, could not be hidden forever. As last, there has come a day when our enemies showed their true natures.
The Jedi hoped to unleash their destructive power against the Republic by assassinating the head of government and usurping control of the Grand Army of the Republic, while their confederates in this very Senate were to assume official control of the Government. But the aims of those would-be tyrants were valiantly opposed by those without the Jedi's elitist, dangerous powers. Our loyal clone troopers contained the insurrection within the Jedi Temple and quelled uprisings on a thousand worlds.
The remaining Jedi will be hunted down and defeated. Any collaborators will suffer the same fate. These have been trying times, but we have passed the test.
Their attempt on my life was foiled before it began. When the Jedi and their confederates found their plans thwarted, they fled Coruscant, but not before lashing out at the innocents that surrounded them. The valiant and loyal crew of the Star Destroyer Strikefast discovered their intent, but the Jedi, never with the least shred of concern for what they consider lesser mortals, killed it's crew and made the ship crash on the surface of this very planet, into the heart of our city. They used the confusion, be it caused by the Fleet's rush to aid the Jedi's victims or by the nefarious use of their powers, fled, but rest assured, the Fleet will not rest until they have been hunted down and brought to justice.
We stand on the threshold of a new beginning.
In order to ensure the security and continuing stability, the Republic will be reorganized into the first Galactic Empire, for a safe and secure society, which I assure you will last for 10,000 years. An Empire that will be continue to be ruled by this august body and a sovereign ruler chosen for life. An Empire ruled by the majority, for the majority, ruled by a new constitution.
By bringing the entire galaxy under one law, one language, and the enlightened guidance of one individual, the corruption that plagued the Republic in its later years will never take root. Regional governors will eliminate the bureaucracy that allowed the Separatist movement to grow unchecked. A strong and growing military will ensure the rule of law.
Under the Empire's New Order, our most cherished beliefs will be safeguarded. We will defend our ideals by force of arms. We will give no ground to our enemies and we will stand together against attacks from with or without. Let the enemies of the Empire take heed: Those who challenge Imperial resolve will be crushed.
The Jedi are still dangerous. To combat this vile threat, there will be a specialized branch of the Imperial Executive, made up of dedicated individuals who will, unlike the Jedi, use their powers for the good of the populace and the Empire.
We have taken on a task that will be difficult, but the people of the Empire are ready for the challenge. Because of our efforts, the galaxy has traded war for peace and anarchy for stability. Billions of beings now look forward to a secure future. The Empire will grow as more planets feel the call, from the Rim to the wilds of unknown space.
Imperial citizens must do their part. Join our grand star fleet. Become the eyes of the Empire by reporting suspected insurrectionists and Jedi. Travel to the corners of the galaxy to spread the principles of the New Order to barbarians. Build monuments and technical wonders that will speak of our glory for generations to come.
The Clone soldiers, proudly wearing the name of Imperial stormtroopers, have tackled the dangerous work of fighting our enemies on the front lines. Many have died in their devotion to the Empire. Imperial citizens would do well to remember their example.
The New Order of peace has triumphed over the shadowy secrecy of shameful abusers of their gifts. The direction of our course is clear. I will lead the Empire to glories beyond imagination.
We have been tested, but we have emerged stronger. We moved forward as one people - the Imperial citizens of the first Galactic Empire. We will prevail. Ten thousand years of peace begins today."
The hologram disappeared and silence reigned in the compartment for a long time.
"Well," Padmé said, "at least we know where we stand. Democracy died to thundering applause."
Her disgust was obvious.
"I'm sorry, Padmé, I..."
"Nothing of this is your fault. If you had done anything differently, we might not..."
She trailed off as he had and only looked over to where their children were sleeping peacefully, oblivious to the distress of their parents. "No, Ani. There is nothing you have to blame yourself for."
"Still, we have made ourselves a very powerful enemy, in more ways than one."
Obi Wan turned away and returned to the cabin that had been assigned to him. He laid down on the cot, sighed and tried to get some sleep.
The moment his eyes had closed, he heard a voice he'd never thought would hear again.
"You did well, Padawan."
His eyes open he was upright instantly.
"Master."
Qui-Gon Jinn smiled in his very own secretive way, a smile that Obi Wan knew very well, however rarely he'd seen it.
"Some things never chance, do they? I hear you have a similar issue with your own Padawan."
"Master.. how is this possible?"
"Haven't the last few days taught you there are ways of the Force beyond the Order's wisdom?" Qui-Gon shook his head. "If Anakin was to teach you anything, it was that."
The blue-tinted Force apparition sighed. "But I suppose we were both too set in our ways. I suppose you wonder what brings me here?"
When Obi Wan nodded, Qui-Gon sat down on the foot of the cot.
"Obi Wan, you may think that what befell the Order is the worst possible outcome, but believe me, it is not. Things could have been much, much worse."
"But how? We were driven from the temple. Three in four of our number are dead, and we have been made fugitives to be hunted down and killed like... criminals."
"Maybe so, but have you ever considered what would have happened of Sidious had been successful?"
"You mean he wasn't?"
Qui-Gon shook his head. "Not completely, no. I know Anakin told you what Sidious was trying to do when he met him in his office?"
"Of course."
"Have you ever considered what may have happened had he managed to turn Anakin? If your Padawan had fallen to the Dark Side of the Force?"
The cold, hard tendrils of dread clenched around Obi Wan's heart.
"Yes. Anakin would have been the one to lead the attack on the Temple. Anakin would have slaughtered everyone in side, from Masters down to the younglings. He would have been the new Sith apprentice and helped cement the Empire."
He paused, taking in the disbelief in his old Padawan's face. "Obi Wan, if he had turned, his dreams of Padmé's death would have come true, and he would have been the one to kill her. Oh, not directly, no. But he would still have been responsible for her death, and it would have fallen on you to hide the twins from him."
Obi Wan was close to tears, and with a desperate sadness, he looked at his old Master.
"Why are you telling me this? Why are you burdening me with this knowledge?"
"Because Anakin knows this as well, though only the general idea, not the minutia of what would have happened. Those dreams that allowed him to expose Sidious gave him more than a window into the future that would have been. If he ever wants to talk to someone about this, he must know that you are the first Jedi he can come to. Always."
Neither said anything for a while.
"He was tempted, for a very short while at least. And do you want to know what made that time so short?"
Obi Wan shook his head, unable to say anything.
"You. Your support and unwavering friendship. His wife, her love and the knowledge that you would give your everything for her safety just as he would. He knew that Sidous was not his only chance to save her, and thanks to you he knew that the visions he had of her death were anything but a certainty. That was what allowed him to turn away from the path to the Dark Side, the knowledge that whatever happened, you would stand there beside him. And that is what I need you to do in the future."
"He... he will be temped again?"
"Not that I know. But the path before you will nevertheless be a dangerous, difficult and very long one. Anakin is still the Chosen One, and if he is to fulfil his destiny, he needs you, his wife and his Padawan by his side."
"What would have happened to Ahsoka?"
Qui-Gon shrugged. "She would have been forgotten by history, from a certain point of view."
Obi Wan sensed that there was more to it than that, but if his old Master did not wish to tell him, the wouldn't press the issue, as it was pointless.
"At any rate, Anakin needs to know that you will be there with him. I can't tell you what is going to happen, it will be challenging, you will see and experience things beyond your imagination, you will see splendours both subtle and gross, and you and the Skywalkers, all of them, will be a beacon of light in the darkness that has descended. The Jedi Order will be the last, best hope for all sentience."
Qui-Gon disappeared.
The End.
For now
A final author's note: I had an absolute, utter and totally ball writing this. I haven't had this much fun in creating a verse in a very long time. Maybe it's because of the somewhat... suboptimal treatment several characters and institutions have been given in the Legends EU (which, for the record, I believe is an alternate universe of the Disney!Canon-verse and still chugging along elsewhere in the Multi-verse of fiction, like the relaunch of that other franchise), and my opinions over some of that will be readily apparent.
Now, the sequel. Star Wars: The Skywalker Heresy Episode II: Forces of Rebellion, coming to a website near you maybe this weekend already.
Lastly, John Williams is a god among men.
May the Force be with you.